Monday, November 8, 2010

What is Faith?

"Now FAITH is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen."

- Hebrews 11:1

"That your faith should NOT stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God."

- 1 Corinthians 2:5

Faith as described in Hebrews 11:1 may sound like "fantasy" or "wishful thinking" to many people and it might as well be if we place our trust & faith in the wrong person. Such error might just bring your whole world come crashing down in trembling and fear.

We may have some degree of faith and trust in the people we know and perhaps a child or baby may have 100% faith on his parents to take care of him/her, but even these may fail when a parent abandons a child at the orphanage or some odd place.

Can a child muster enough faith in his lifetime to trust anyone again, after experiencing abandonment?

Does that child need somebody else to show him kindness and loyalty before he respond with the same OR is it inbuilt within a person that ability to love and trust regardless of the adverse surroundings or bad experiences.

Is it all about "EVIDENCE" again, that a person may need to know that trust and faith among mankind is possible based on what he sees first before responding?

What about trust and faith in a GOD that we nave NEVER SEEN? What kind of evidence do we need from GOD?

"If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?"

- 1 John 4:20

So, from 1st John 4:20, does our faith in God stem UNCONSCIOUSLY or subconsciously from our own ability to love and trust someone else?

In a way, it is true. as in John 3:6, we were all born from our original pair of ancestors "Adam and Eve" (of whom were Sons of God before their fall from grace) through the ORIGINAL / INITIAL life giving "Spirit of God" upon their CREATION.

Just like when we can trace the evidence of our biological parents through DNA (the flesh), we can trace our Creator through the Holy Spirit of GOD.

In normal circumstances, as a child is so naturally drawn to his parents for love & trust and vice versa; so are we naturally drawn to the LORD for love and trust because the Holy Spirit of God is not empty and hollow but is a part of us that is of substance and reality that can be known and to learn from in a quiet manner because the Spirit is our lifeline link to God, just as the DNA is our link to our biological family, so is the Holy Spirit our link to our Heavenly Father, our creator. (And I am NOT talking about the Pentecostal / Charismatic type of "holy spirit")

"That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit."

- John 3:6

Who on earth would dare put their trust another person whom they have never seen or heard before - as it is neither proper nor safe in this day and age; but if we put our faith in the LORD Most High and when it is in accordance to the will of God, then fantasy sometimes becomes reality and wishful thinking can become miracles.

"And he that keepeth his commandments dwelleth in him, and he in him. And hereby we know that he abideth in us, by the Spirit which he hath given us."

- 1st John 3:24

"Beloved, follow not that which is evil, but that which is good. He that doeth good is of God: but he that doeth evil hath not seen God."

- 3 John 1:11

"Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear."

- Hebrews 11:3

"By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith."

- Hebrews 11:7

How is your faith in the LORD?

Is it based on your constant relationship with the Lord through prayer and study; or is it based on your inbuilt subconscious capacity; or is it based on popular demand of the day - Monkey see, monkey do?

Can our faith in the LORD get swayed and we need to attach a spiritual Richter scale to measure our tremor and fear?

Sometimes..... probably...... but we constantly hope to build our faith upon the steady ROCK so that when the wind and the waves hit us or sudden earthquake...... we pray for the Lord's saving grace hoping to remain as steady as Daniel in the lion's den and that is to come out alive and in "one piece".